Serial attacks raise fears among women, UD students

The string of kidnappings and sexual assaults targeting women in New Castle County have hit too close to home for many residents and college students.

Headquarters II Hair Salon in Polly Drummond Shopping Center sits about a mile from Monday night's attempted kidnapping. Employees and customers there say they have changed routines and taken other steps to ensure their safety. Women working at night leave together, said receptionist Lou Fleming, and if only a few employees are working, the salon locks some of its doors.

"Everyone's looking out for each other," Fleming said, adding that most of their clients have been talking about the attacks. "It's really scary."

That feeling has rippled among most women in the area. County police have not provided many identifying features for the masked man who has now struck three times — the most recent attempt occurring at the Preserve at Deacons Walk apartments, previously known as the Bluffs, in Pike Creek.

In every incident, the man – described as about 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a thin build – has been armed with a gun and talked to himself throughout the attack, coaching himself through what he plans to do next, said Officer First Class JP Piser.

RELATED: Serial kidnapper thwarted by woman's quick thinking

RELATED: Police seek man in 2 NCCo kidnappings, sexual assaults

Police have not identified the man's race and accent because investigators have not been able to pinpoint either characteristic, he said.

"You need to put yourself in the victim's position," Piser said, stressing that the incidents happened at night with the man's face covered. "The big connector in the first two incidents is the distinct accent. The problem is that we can't narrow that down to any particular accent."

Until investigators are 100 percent confident with those details, they won't be released to the public, he said.

"We understand and we know that it's frustrating for the public that we don't have a lot about personal description to put out," Piser said. "But it's also frustrating for investigators to not have a better description to provide to residents while they try to solve the crime."

The lack of details has left many in the community unsure of what to look for, especially among those moving around at night. Students at the University of Delaware are facing similar fears, with the most recent attack happening closer to the Newark campus.

Kathryn Super, a senior at UD, said she does not think many UD students know about the most recent incident, which occurred Monday night. The college did not use its emergency notification system, UD Alerts, to notify students about the incident.

Super did not hear about it until Tuesday night when her car battery died, she said. She planned to wait outside as her friend brought jumper cables from her house, but her friend mentioned the kidnapping and cautioned Super against waiting alone.

VIDEO: Police say attacks in the community are 'completely random'

STORY: Accused gang member's triple murder trial begins

“I was very surprised that we didn’t get a UD Alert,” Super said. “This guy is at large and clearly in the area — it just seems strange that UD didn’t see any need to let us know about it.”

Andrea Boyle-Tippett, a spokeswoman for UD, said in an email that the university uses the alert system "only during major emergencies, situations where there is an imminent danger to the safety and welfare of students, faculty and staff, or if a state of emergency is declared."

In this particular incident, UD shared posts by the New Castle County Police Department, along with safety tips for students to follow.

Jamie Forrest, also a senior at UD, disagreed with the university's decision. Both her boyfriend and her sister live in the apartment complex where the man last targeted, and Forrest often drives to the Pike Creek apartments after her night classes and walks inside by herself.

Since learning of the attacks, she's changed her practices.

“UD students deserve to know about this,” Forrest said. “I wish that UD would be more open, even if it makes campus seem less safe. God forbid a UD student gets kidnapped, and they don’t even know about all this. Lots of students live off-campus — there shouldn’t just be alerts for things that happen on The Green.”

Forrest works at an after-school program at West Park Place Elementary School and said the safety concerns affect several of her students, who live in the apartments. The morning after the attempted attack, helicopters and police cars swarmed the area, and several of the students came to school late because they couldn’t exit the complex.

Police have advised residents to be aware of their surroundings, let people know where they're going and when they plan to return and to "trust your gut," along with other tips.

For many, the mere sight of police cars patrolling the neighborhoods is a comfort.

Peggy Woodock, the owner of Headquarters II Hair Salon, said she has seen an increased police presence since the attacks, even in places she didn't expect to see patrol cars.

With little information on who or what to look for, the knowledge that officers are nearby is helpful, she said.

"He must live around here," she said, "because he's run from police every time."

Vanessa Crespo, who lives in the Arundel Apartments complex where the second attack took place, said in the weeks since the kidnapping, the complex installed an additional keypad security system at the main entrances.

Each apartment has its own code for further safety, she said, which has helped ease her mind.

"No one expected this to happen here," Crespo said, noting the quiet neighborhood. "It's good they're making it more secure."

Police have asked anyone with information or surveillance footage to contact Detective Levy via email at cilevy@nccde.org or New Castle County Police at (302) 573-2800.

Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.